Pasta piccante al pesto di gamberi e peperoni rossi

Here is last night's dinner: I adapted three different recipes for this dish. It has a wonderful earthy undertone - enjoy.

Ingredients

1lb of large shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined

1 lb of Pasta

1 cup romano cheese

2/3 cup of Olive OIl

1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, from a jar

1/2 cup of roasted sun-dried tomatoes, from a jar

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup tomato paste

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of Piment d'Espelette AOP

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Salt and Pepper

Lemon zest - Garnish

Italian Parsley - garnish

Basil - garnish

Directions

Start cooking pasta as directed on the package.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat drizzle about a tablespoon of the olive oil, add sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, walnuts, garlic, and spices - saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, and let cool.

In the same skillet add the shrimp, reduce heat to medium and saute until just done- add some of the pasta water if the pan is too dry. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl, and cover.

Once the tomato mixture is cool, add the peppers and the balance of the olive oil and pulse to combine. You want the sauce a bit smooth but chunky. Transfer back to the skillet. Turn the heat under the skillet to medium-low.

Once pasta is just about done, remove a cup of the water and added to the skillet and saute until smooth, add shrimp back to the skillet. Saute to coat. Now add the pasta, toss, and then half the cheese, toss. Plate up and garnish with lemon zest and the fresh herbs and serve with the remaining cheese.